


One-Week Girl

by SolidStateScouter



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Backstory, Blood, Emetophobia, Gen, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-09
Updated: 2015-01-13
Packaged: 2018-03-06 19:27:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3145832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolidStateScouter/pseuds/SolidStateScouter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One day, she would be amongst the strongest magicians in Gensokyo. But now, she was just scared, alone and confused.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Patchouli

The snow falls to the ground softly and your breath comes out in little, cold puffs of air. You hate the winter - it was cold and harsh, and the rooms in the orphanage had little to insulate them. You rub your small, shaking hands together and pull your oversized coat up further, trying to cover your mouth. 

Your name is dumb, and you didn't pick it, so it means absolutely nothing to you. All that matters is who you are, at this point. You're fifteen. At least, you think you are. They never told you your birthday. All you had to go by was the occasional mention of the year you arrived in. Like many others, your parents didn't abandon you. They had died when you were young, too young to remember them. You don't care, really. It's not really like things would be any better, then - you'd still be working in the stupid workhouses until your fingers bled.

Despite being labelled as a boy your entire life, you don't feel it. You never really have - like your name, it was something other people forced on to you. Something useless, defined by what they chose to see. You're not a boy, but you're not quite sure what you are. A girl, you think to yourself when people aren't around, when no one can mock you and hit you. The last time you said you weren't a boy you got punished, and you're scared that it might get worse if you say you are again. Even if it's true, you don't relish the idea of getting beaten again. The punishment of being denied food is a lot more... bearable. You've never needed food, and the alien sensation of hunger was never something that bothered you. 

There's a lot of things that are 'weird' about you, you realize as you stare out through the dusty window into the cold. Never needed to eat. Not a boy, however much everyone says you are. And, sometimes... you close your eyes and focus for a second, glancing down when you're done. There you go. And sometimes, you can float. If you stay focused, you can push it - and you do, floating all the way to the top of your small room. It's not a very high distance, by any stretch, but far enough to be the sort of thing that would get you hung if someone saw. So no one sees. You touch back to the ground and fall onto your stiff bed, sighing and lifting your hand. After you take a moment to focus, weird little flecks of some glowing energy float away from your hands, floating into the cold, dusty air and evaporating. Another thing that could get you killed.

The world is an unfair place, you think, not for the first time. Everything and everyone seems to be out to kill you for everything about you. Even though all of them are far beyond your control.

But you have an idea. 

You rub your hands together again, trying to focus on making the weird energy things again. 

Heat lights up the world in between your hands and you open them, lips curling upwards in a small smile. 

In the centre of your hands, a small ball of fire burns, forcing away the oppressive wintry cold. You raise your hands and the fire follows, lighting up your face in the darkness of your room.

Not for the first time, you're glad this room is yours and yours alone. The fire keeps you warm through the night, and you're kept awake by your need for warmth and your own thoughts. 

Again, not the first time you've went without a night of sleep. 

* * *

Life in the workhouse is painful and harsh, but you've been working here for the majority of your life, so it's nothing new to you at this point. Even if the soot makes you cough until there's blood trickling down your chin and it feels like someone's punched you in the stomach. You endure. You always have, as painfully difficult as it is.

The day's work goes as it always does. You have a coughing fit, and the supervisor yells at you until you get back to work, even if you can't stop coughing. It sucks and it's terrible, but you're not surprised. The same thing happened yesterday, and the day before that. You break apart stones with simple tools and your bare hands, wincing when your nails crack and blood runs over the chipped rock.  _Nothing new._

Finally, you get a break, and even if it's short and even if the food does absolutely nothing for you, the tea is appreciated and it soothes your sore throat, washing down the blood and soot. Although it had been a bit cold when you got it, that was easily fixed with a moment of focus. It warmed your hands up too. Maybe God - if the fucker even exists - gave you this power to balance out how shitty the rest of your life was. 

After the day's work, you wander back to your room, not bothering to attend the brief and annoying sermon. You really could not care less about whatever it is he's talking about. It's all annoying anyways, nor does it make any sense. You prefer books - even if reading is hard for you at the moment, you still try, reading books you steal from the small classroom you get to go into sometimes. 

They're all very simple books - nursery rhymes and bible stories, but it's still reading, however dry and asinine it may be. When the light dims outside, you light up the room with a glimmer of small fire, hiding under your bed when someone comes looking for you. It's not the first time you've skipped out on the sermon - and in the end, no one really cares. They just look out of obligation, and they want the excuse to beat you again. You're not popular with any of them, for so many reasons. 

You fall asleep tonight, wrapped in layers of blankets and your heavy coat. The nightmares that plague you tonight are of the usual fare - working and working and coughing and dying as blood and phlegm spill from your throat onto the ground. It doesn't stop - not even as the blood is pouring high enough to drown you, flooding your throat and sinuses with it again and blinding you with painful blood red. Not for the first time, you wake up in a cold sweat. 

You need to go on a walk.

After a few minutes, you're trudging down the back steps of the workhouse and into the extremely cold night. But you don't care, anything is better than having to sit in the dark and stare at the walls. You don't want to spend every minute being scared that the sweat trickling down your neck is actually blood. You'd much rather deal with the cold. Maybe you'll freeze to death. It'd be a lie for you to say that you didn't want that to happen. It'd be better than dealing with spending every waking moment pretending you were something you're not, just to avoid dying anyways. 

On some days, you hope that someone will come from the dark and kill you. Maybe then things would actually be bearable for once. You close your eyes and sigh, cold air rushing past your ear as you wander down the alleyway. It may be dark, but you light up the path with an orb of ethereal fire, warming yourself in the process. So when you catch something out of the corner of your eye, illuminated by the fire, you freeze.

It's a small figure, but its form is too obscured from the shadows for you to identify it, so you move your hands in its direction. 

What you see makes you freeze and makes your stomach twist and turn.

She's a short, pale person with a short, ragged light blue hair, covered by a small mob cap. Her eyes gleam red in the darkness, and a dark, sticky liquid drips down from her mouth. At the sight of you, she grins, flashing a pair of frighteningly large fangs. There's a thumping sound, and you realize she's been dragging a body. Then, the realization that the stuff on her face is blood.

You manage to wonder what you've gotten yourself into when she's suddenly in front of you, eyes flickering up and down your body. "Hm. You look like a human, but I've never seen a human using magic at such a young age." Every word she says is carefully enunciated, and her voice is high-pitched but clear and loud. You're already quite a bit taller than her, and she looks like she couldn't be any older than ten. 

Terror strikes through your veins and you stutter out nonsense, taking a step backwards. She giggles and waves her hand, looking you in the eye. "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." You find that hard to believe, taking into consideration the blood splattered over her pale pink dress. It makes you feel like you're going to vomit. "It'd be kind of pointless, anyways. Youkai aren't very nutritious for vampires." Vampire. You turn around and manage to take two steps before slipping and vomiting all over the ice, head spinning. The fire dies in your hand.

There's silence for a moment, and you think you're free, so you start pulling yourself to your feet to stagger away, but all of the sudden she's in front of you again. You didn't notice before, but she has wings - small, leathery wings with pink undersides. "Feeling better?" You shake your head and stumble away, making sure not to step in your vomit. She sighs and rolls her eyes. "Listen, I won't hurt you."

"W-why should I believe you?" Your voice is hoarse and talking makes you cough painfully. She raises an eyebrow but remains silent until you're done before speaking up. Almost unconsciously, there's a fire brewing in your hands again, and she seems to wince when the light flares, but she looks fine a second later. 

"Like I said. Youkai aren't nutritious. Humans are the only thing that can actually feed me." She points towards the corpse in the alley. There's blood pooling around it now, steaming in the cold air. You almost throw up again.

"I'm not a monster. I-I'm a human." 

She laughs again, long and high-pitched. "Nope. Humans can't do that stuff!" She points at the flame in your hand. "You're a natural born magician! 0% human, 100% magical youkai! Be proud." You have no idea what she's saying.

"I don't understand. What... what are you...?" She mentioned it before - a vampire. But you'd really rather not jump to conclusions here. Vampires don't exist. You find yourself focusing on her fangs, jutting out from under her lips.

She takes an elaborate bow, flaring out her wings behind her and holding onto her hat before standing up straight again, a proud smile on her face. "I am Remilia Scarlet, head of the House of Scarlet. Vampire, descendant of Vlad Tepes Dracul, the Impaler. Charmed, I'm sure." She is the most self-important person you've ever listened to. "And who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

"...My name is dumb." Your breath disperses in the cold wind, and you shift uncomfortably. "I don't like it." This isn't the first time you've told someone this - but it feels better around the vampire - Remilia - for whatever reason. Almost like she'll understand, maybe. And indeed, she nods and smiles. 

"That's okay. Are you a girl?" It's the first time anyone's ever asked you this - every other time, it's just. Boy. He. Him. His. You open your mouth and stare at her, but no words come to your parched throat and you nod. She beams. "Ah! Well, it's nice to meet you, miss!" She closes up her wings, causing a slight breeze that makes the fire in your hands waver.

"Are you a girl?" That made you realize something - you had just assumed she was a girl, based on the way she was dressing. That isn't fair, no more than people assuming you're a boy based off of your clothing. 

"Yes. Hey, I know the feeling. Being a girl when everyone says you aren't. Don't worry about it!" Her voice is more gentle then you thought it could be, and you just stare at her, uncomprehending.

"...Thank you, Remilia..." Even that doesn't seem to capture your gratitude. You had no idea there were people like you out there.

"Please, call me Remi."

"...Remi."

* * *

 

Remilia quickly becomes a very important person in your otherwise uneventful life. She visits, and visits often, coming through your window at night. Some days, she just listens to you talk. On other days, she brings tea - it's not fantastic tea, by any means, but it's  _tea_ and it's warm and good. And some days, she teaches you things. How to control the energy - magic, she says - how to make more than just fire and the small, useless sparks. 

You tell her you like to read one day, and the next time she comes she comes with a stack of books. When you finally calm down, you give her a hug, and she hugs you back. She's not exactly warm, but she's gentle and soft and she chuckles. You admit that you're not a very good reader, and she teaches you - she reads you sections from the books in a quiet voice, telling you what words mean what, and what letters make what sounds. 

Soon, you're reading at every opportunity that you have, and she has to compete with her gifts for your attention. And though she may gripe and whine for your acknowledgement when you're focused on your current book, she tells you she's proud. For the first time, you feel wanted. For the first time, you feel  _important._

Yesterday, the book she brought you has lists and lists of herbs. It's kind of a dry read, but you don't care. It's a book, and it's interesting, and you're learning. The illustrations are simple, but nice. Everything is alphabetized.

At the p's, something catches your eye. 

Patchouli. A plant from Asia. Pale, pinkish flowers. Used in some perfumes.

It sounds... right. "Patchouli." You roll it over on your tongue, narrowing your eyes a bit and smiling slightly. 

When Remilia arrives the next day, you tell her your name is Patchouli.

She smiles and nods and repeats it. "It's a cute name," she says. "It fits you." You smile widely and hug her, and she hugs you back. "It's nice to meet you, Patchouli."


	2. Scarlet

Between Remi's sporadic visits, the days drag on and on. They remain as boring and harsh as ever, but Remi's visits give you something to look forward to, as do the books stacked under your bed. You've read them all by now - Remi keeps bringing more when she comes, bigger and thicker and more complicated ones. You treasure each one she brings - they're all gifts and they're all lovely. Despite this, you have to keep them under your bed, otherwise someone might see them and accuse you of stealing. And then you'd get in trouble. 

Despite the dreariness and pain of work, you've found ways to make it easier. A bit of magic makes the rocks break easier, makes it harder for you to bleed. You can't fix your throat, though. Every day you cough until you can't breathe, but that's not really a new development. You've gotten used to it at this point. Maybe when you've gotten better at magic you'll be able to fix your throat. 

Today, you actually go to the sermon, but you don't listen. Most of the kids don't - they just stare blankly ahead and wonder when it's going to end. It's the same stuff as always, really, so you don't bother paying attention. You get supper afterwards, though, and even if the food is useless the tea is nice. A quick bit of magic warms it up enough to soothe your throat and warm your body, counteracting the harsh midwinter cold.

After you're done, the sun has already set, invisible through the thick layers of smog and clouds. You move quickly to your room, ignoring the insults and questions and lies thrown your way on the way there. It doesn't matter. They don't matter. You'll be with Remi soon, and being with her always makes things... not better, but more bearable. Like you are where you're supposed to be. It's nice.

When you get into your room, Remi's already there, lying on your bed. "Good evening, Miss Patchouli. How was your day?" She looks over at you and smiles warmly, sitting up slowly and stretching. Even though she's called you it several times by now, you're still not quite used to being called Patchouli - every time is like a small, pleasant surprise that warms your heart and brings a small smile to your face.

"It was okay. A day like any other, really." She nods and you notice she didn't bring anything today. It wouldn't be the first time, so you're not exactly surprised or disappointed. Well, maybe a little disappointed. "And how was yours, Remi?"

She smiles at you when you use her nickname and stretches her wings. "Ah, it was alright. Got a good meal on the way here!" You remember blood pooling in the alleyway and you have to take a moment to calm yourself down. She's silent for a moment, and you feel panic bubbling up in your chest. Did you do something wrong? Does she not want to talk to you? But her mouth opens again and your thoughts slow down. "Do you want to come stay at my house? Instead of here?"

Your mouth falls open and you blink at her, surprised. That... had not been something you were expecting. It had been something you hoped for, occasionally, but you never thought it would actually happen. Your lips curl up into a smile and you nod eagerly. "Yes! Of course!"  _Anything is better than here._

Remi grins and giggles, covering her mouth and swooping forward off your bed to hug you. "That's great! You'll be so great to have over! Flandre will be so happy to meet you! And - and...." She slows down for a moment to collect her thoughts, and then she's talking again, fast and excited. "And we can have tea together! And you can wear whatever clothes you want! It'll be so great!"

You're hugging her back, and you're too excited to respond. A lot of questions come to mind, but they can wait until later.

* * *

 

When you bring up your books, Remilia produces a large bag to put them in. It's not like you have any other possessions that are all that important to you, so with that, the two of you float out your open window and into the night sky. Flying during the winter is cold - the wind blows and bites at every inch of exposed skin, but Remilia continues, undeterred. You guess that's one of the things about being technically dead. Temperature doesn't really affect you that much.

"Who's Flandre?" is the first question you ask her when you're in the air, remembering all the things she said earlier in her excited frenzy. She blinks, surprised, and then looks back at you with a smile on her face.

"My little sister! I'm sure the two of you will get along great." She looks back ahead, guiding you through the city sky. "I should warn you, though - be careful. She's... powerful. Very powerful." You don't ask for elaboration - she's told you enough about youkai for you to have a pretty good image of what that means. Is Flandre stronger than her sister? That seems hard to believe. The journey continues in relative silence as you think to yourself. You remember she said she was the head of the Scarlet family - does she have a mansion? How big is a mansion, anyways? You've never seen much outside the workhouse, and the city is too dark for you to make out more than just the shadowed outlines of buildings.

"Here we are!" Remilia's voice takes you out of your thoughts, and she lands in front of a rather small-looking house. You land a short distance behind her, following her slowly. Maybe it wasn't quite what you expected - but you don't care. It's still going to be your home. Better than the workhouse. She unlocks the door and throws it open. "I'm home, Flandre! And I brought a guest!"

When you close the door behind you, a pale, tall girl peeks out from behind the corner. "...Hi, Remi. Is this... Patchouli?" Her voice is quiet, almost a mumble. Her hair is an almost pale blonde, in stark contrast to her sister's darker blue. However, she shares her eyes - dark and red and gleaming in the darkness. Like her sister, she's wearing a mob cap, but with a red ribbon. 

Remilia nods and moves forward, pulling Flandre farther out by the arm. "Yes! Flandre, say hi to Patchouli!" Flandre looks up to you nervously and clears her throat awkwardly.

"Uh, hi, Patchouli." Her voice is even quieter than it was before, and much more nervous. Something gleams behind her - it takes you a moment to recognize it as her wings. Unlike her sister's, which are large and leathery, hers are thin and wire-like, with crystal-like shapes hanging from them. They're beautiful, you think to yourself before remembering that talking is a thing that people do sometimes.

"Hello, Flandre." Thoughts of Flandre hating you come to mind, but you shrug them away. It'll be fine. Hopefully. Remi looks at you and then at Flandre, and then seems to shrug, fluttering away with the bag of your books.

"Come on, Patchouli! I gotta show you your room!"

* * *

 

Your new room is around the same size as your old one, but has a lot more stuff in it. There's a small shelf - where you've already put your books away in, organizing them based on the alphabet. The bed is softer than the one in the workhouse, with warmer blankets. Remi smiles when she sees you sitting on it. "I've been putting this together for a while now!" The hug you give her in response is warm and long, and then she's gone, saying she has to go get food for Flandre before she gets hungry.

The window is small, but gives you a small opening to look out into the night. There's not a lot to see, really. Smog and clouds, drifting away in the cold winter wind. The questions you forgot to ask come back, but at the front of them is her mention of clothing. Whatever clothes you want... you look down at what you're wearing. Thin and torn. Maybe you'll get new clothes.

That'd be nice, you think.

* * *

New days in the Scarlet household are mostly spent reading. There's more books here - and every night Remilia comes back with more for you. In the warmth of your room, you read for hours on end, only going down to socialize with Remilia and Flandre. Although it took a while, Flandre eventually warmed up to you - one day she called you Patche, and the nickname stuck since then. You like it. It's cute. No one's ever given you a nickname before.

You have tea with them, too. The tea Remi gives you is always warm and nice and brown, but the tea the sisters share is a darkish red, and you have a pretty good idea why. But that doesn't bother you as much as it did before. Remi occasionally brings in bodies - when she does, she gets you to distract Flandre. She doesn't want her sister to see the corpses. 

Although she once seemed shy and quiet, Flandre is a much louder, excitable girl, now that she's more comfortable with you. She's constantly bursting with energy, always wanting to play or talk. You're supposed to keep her inside at night, though, and Remi won't really tell you why. She just says that she's dangerous, and that you shouldn't let her get near humans. So you don't.

One day, Remilia comes back at night with a pink coat and a night-cap, handing them over to you. "Here! These are for you. You need cuter clothes!" You just gawk at them, and then at her, and then hug her. She chuckles and hugs you back. You don't think you could ever really thank her enough for everything she's done for you. "Hey, that's what family's for, right?" is all she says when you mention it. 

A family. 

You think you could get used to this, you think to yourself as you look in the mirror, twirling around in the coat and night-cap. They're cute. You're cute. You twirl a finger in your hair absent-mindedly. It's been getting longer - you haven't had anyone cut it recently, and it's nice. It doesn't look how it did before - it looks... shinier, darker. It used to be a darkish brown, but now... upon closer inspection, it's turned into a darkish purple. You like it.

Remilia brings home more dresses, all of which fit you nicely and all of which are beautiful. But none of them beat the coat, you think. She brings ribbons, too, which you tie into your hair and sew to your clothes (with her help, of course). Remilia compliments you and giggles when you redden, wrapping you in her bony arms and smiling. "You're cute, Patche. The cutest girl I've ever met! Besides me, of course." 

It means so much to hear that, to be called a girl. It makes your heart swell in your chest, and everything feels just a bit more bearable whenever you hear it. You are so, so glad you met Remilia. And when you tell her that, she just grins. "I'm glad I met you too, Patche." 

Flandre compliments you too - she calls you cute, and says "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen!" She gets you to help her with her clothes when she wakes up, and gets you to read to her. And when she falls asleep in your lap, you feel like you're really part of the family. Like another sister, reading the youngest a bedtime story every day as the sun rises. Even if Flandre's probably significantly older than you. (By this time, you've come to realize that you're the most mature person in the house.)

This is how things should be, you think, stroking Flandre's hair as she sleeps on your lap, reading yet another new book. Everything is right.


	3. Meiling

As the months passed on, the winter slowly gave way to spring. Snow melted, and in its wake, flowers bloomed and trees blossomed. In the lieu of snowstorms, there were thunderstorms, bathing the world in a cascade of heavy rain. No more cold nights - warmth was back, and you no longer needed the heat of a magical flame when blizzards brewed.

Even if you liked it, Remilia and Flandre weren't nearly as enthusiastic. Vampires functioned a lot more easily during the winter, you guess - not as much sunlight keeping them indoors. The rain, too, was a curse - they couldn't go outside while it was raining, so Remilia spent a lot more time inside, much to her own chagrin. There, she and Flandre talked and played and had little tea parties. You were invited most of the time, of course, and you did your best to attend, but you don't want to be distracted from your studies. Even if it's just mostly arbitrary things. Learning is learning.

Tonight was not one of those rainy nights, so Remilia went out to get food for her and Flandre. So here you are, babysitting Flandre while Remi's away. 

"Come on, Patche! Please?" Flandre whines, clinging to your sleeve as you attempt to read your book. For the past few months, you and Remi have passed the time by sparring in the basement of the small house. Despite your own improvement in terms of your magical abilities, Remilia is still out of your league. But you have been getting better, and, as tiring as they are, the sparring matches have been helping. Just in case, Remilia says, but she doesn't elaborate.

Ever since she watched one of the sparring matches a few weeks ago, Flandre's been bugging you to spar with her. Something that Remilia has been very strict about not letting her do.

"Nope. I promised Remi I wouldn't spar with you." You sigh and close the book, slipping a bookmark into place and putting it on the table. Flandre huffs and pouts, crossing her arms. Over the past few months, you've grown considerably taller, so the vampire that was once slightly taller than you now stands in your shadow.

Her voice is a small grumble. "Remi's boooooring. Let me spar! It'll be fun!" You shake your head again, sighing and patting her head. She's restless, just as restless as her sister is - but unlike Remilia, Flandre has no outlet. She's stuck in the house pretty much the entire time, left to stare out the window and play with old, cracked porcelain dolls. You feel bad for her - you've been in a similar situation. Not as harsh. But still.

"Who's boring?" Remilia's voice catches you both by surprise, and the two of you turn your heads to see her sitting in the fireplace, brushing ash off of her clothes. Flandre starts trying to take back her words, stumbling nervously over them, but you just roll your eyes. Remilia grins and stands up straight once she gets out of the fireplace, still a bit shorter than both you and Flandre. 

The ash falls from the fireplace in a cloud and you start coughing violently, lying back in your seat and struggling for breath. "Oh yeah." Remilia's voice is a mutter, and you hear her fluttering away. A few minutes later - once your coughing's abated - she's back, handing you a warm cup of tea. "Here." It soothes your throat and gives you the chance to regain your breath. While you do so, Remilia flutters into her own chair and claps her hands together. "Alright, I have an announcement!" 

"Remi, why did you come in through the chimney...?" Flandre's voice interrupts Remi, and Remilia sighs and slumps back in her chair. 

"Because, that's what you do when you want to surprise people. Duh." She sounds like it was obvious. You don't question it, both because you don't particularly care about her reasoning and also because talking is also a bit more than you can manage at the moment. "Anyways, my announcement! We're.... going to move to Japan!" She lifts her hands up and grins at the two of you.

Flandre stares at Remi, uncomprehending, and you just blink, surprised. "...Why."

Remi crosses her arms, looking almost disappointed. "Because it's nicer there. Not as much sunlight and rain and stupid stuff like that!"

"Remi, I'm not sure if that's tr - " Your throat is still sore, but you're able to talk a bit better now that you've gotten some hydration.

"And, " Remi continues, pretending that you didn't say anything, "There's a youkai colony there! We can go there and eat all the humans we want! Or just spend the entire day reading books. Whatever you want!" She holds her arms out again, looking as if she wants the two of you to jump up in joy. You just look at her sceptically and Flandre continues to stare at her in confusion. Remi's face falls and her arms fall. "What."

Flandre looks at you, and then clears her throat awkwardly. "What's Japan." 

"Oh! It's, uh! An island! Or a group of islands...?" She looks at you uncertainly and you nod, resigning yourself to your fate. She beams and crosses her arms. "Yes! A group of islands. I knew it. Anyways! It's to the east. There's a lot of youkai there! It'll be so great. We'll be able to eat anything we want without stupid vampire hunters getting in the way!" By this point, you've realized that Remilia isn't going to take no for an answer. "And! We can get a nice house without worrying about these dumb treaties all these dumb vampires made ages ago."

Flandre lights up and bounces to her feet. "That sounds great! And I'll be able to fly around everywhere...!" Remilia winces and you sigh, walking away to start packing your books while she breaks the news to Flandre. 

You really don't have the heart to tell Flandre that she never really will be able to do that. She's too strong. Too dangerous.

* * *

 

By the time you have your books and clothes gathered up in bags, Flandre's stopped arguing with Remi and has resigned herself to sitting in a corner with her dolls. When you step downstairs with your bags, you hear the sound of crunching glass and wince. Remilia turns to look at you and beams. "Aw, come on, Patche! Cheer up. Japan's better than this! This is such a stupid place anyways." Even if she's telling the truth, you don't see how moving will really change anything.

Before the sun sets on the next day, the three of you are standing outside, at the docks. Remilia apparently arranged for you to get on a boat that would take you to China or something. You're not quite sure how she managed to do that, but you think you have a pretty good idea. She has a way of making things fall into place exactly how she wants them to. Her and Flandre and hiding from the sunlight with expensive looking - probably stolen - parasols, shifting uncomfortably in the spring day.

The boat is cramped and stinks. People jostle and push and yell at each other, kicking up dust that sends you into a coughing fit. You hate it. Why can't you stay here. It might be gross and cramped and small, but - actually, why do you care? If you go somewhere bigger. More open. With more freedom. That'd be nice, you think. Maybe. Probably better than this, anyways. There's too many humans, and thus too many dangerous people who actually have a good idea of what a youkai magician can do. 

Better go into it with an open mind, you think to yourself as you crack open your book in the small room that Remilia managed to secure the three of you. What's the worse that could happen, anyways?

* * *

 

It takes you approximately one day on the boat to realize you get seasick, and you spend more time sleeping and vomiting into a bucket than reading. Remilia and Flandre aren't troubled by the harsh waters, and Remi goes out at night and comes back with enough blood to keep Flandre sated. You glower at her over the rim of the bucket and she smiles bashfully.

* * *

 

When the boat finally arrives in China, it feels like you've been vomiting for the better part of a year. You probably have been. It's not like you paid attention to the passage of time, really. You just puked and read and slept and muttered weak incantations under your breath to keep Remi pleased and Flandre entertained. But, you're here. It took forever, but you're finally here.

This isn't your final stop, though - you still need to get to Japan. And you're not sure how far that is. Wasn't it right off the coast of China? Hopefully, it won't take that long. Remilia brandishes her parasol and grins, looking out over the crowds. "Okay, we're supposed to have a guide here... Someone who will take us to Japan." People walk by and kick up dust and you cough, turning away from the offending particles.

"How did you get all this stuff arranged." Remi smiles at you and shrugs, looking back over the crowd. 

"Ah! There." She moves towards a small stall with a bunch of small souvenirs and toys, mostly overlooked by everyone else walking by. In the stall, a tall Chinese girl leans over on the counter, fiddling with one of the trinkets. She's wearing a small beret with a star on it, with a green dress. Her hair is long and red, spilling over the counter and hanging over the edges. When Remilia nears, she looks up and straightens.

"Uh, hello." Her English has a bit of a Chinese accent, and her eyes are a surprisingly sharp blue. "What can I do for you, Miss....?" 

"Scarlet." The girl's eyes widen and she stands up suddenly. "Meiling, correct?" The girl - Meiling - nods quickly, glancing at you, and at Flandre, hiding behind Remilia and looking around, nervous and overwhelmed.

"Uh, yeah! Hong Meiling, at your service!" Now that you have a better look at her, she's  _really_ tall. She towers more than a head above you, and she's very muscular. She's smiling widely, flashing off surprisingly sharp teeth, and you realize that she's a youkai. What exactly, you don't know, but whatever it is, you have a feeling she's powerful. "And your companions are....?" She looks at you, smiling warmly. 

"Patchouli." You don't really have a last name yet. Maybe it's Scarlet. Patchouli Scarlet doesn't sound half bad, you guess. Whatever. Flandre squeaks nervously and hides further behind Remilia. "And that's Flandre." Meiling nods and leans back on her seat, still smiling.

"Alright. So, you have payment and everything?" Meiling's talking to Remilia now, arms crossed. Remilia nods and produces a bag from her dress, dropping it on the counter. Meiling takes it and then peeks inside, lighting up when she saw the contents. "Nice." She puts it into a box underneath the counter and claps her hands together. "Are you ready to leave today, or do you need a break or anything? I have an open room here, so if you need to stay a night, you can." 

Flandre tugs on Remilia's dress and mutters, "I'm tired." Remilia nods.

"Okay, we'll stay the night." 

* * *

 

"What is she." It's the first question you ask Remilia once you get into the room - it's small and nicely furnished, definitely the nicest place you've ever been in - and she shrugs, stretching her wings luxuriously.

"Dragon, I think." Among the bags you had with you were two large suitcases containing Remilia and Flandre's coffins. As vampires, they need to sleep in them all the time. Which seems really cumbersome. Sleeping in general is cumbersome, really. You're just grateful you're doing it on solid ground tonight. A dragon, though...

"What type? Like? The big fire-breathing one with wings and stuff?" Remilia shakes her head and Flandre stumbles into her coffin, slamming it shut and going to sleep nearly instantly. It's been a long trip. Remilia looks like she wants to go to sleep herself, but she's too proud to admit it. She's like that with a lot of things, really. "Then what type?" 

She shrugs. "No wings, I don't think. More. Just a big snake? Something like that? It doesn't matter. She'll be our ride to Japan." You blink and stare at her.

"Wait, our ride? We'll be riding her?" Remilia nods and grins.

"Better than flying all the way there! It'll be fun. Flandre will like it, I think." 

You have a feeling this is going to end in you vomiting again.

* * *

 

The next morning, Meiling wakes you up at a time that seems way too early, thumping on the door. "Come on! We gotta go soon, before everyone else wakes up!" You grumble and get up, opening the door to assure Meiling that, you will, in fact, be up. She nods and then she's gone, walking back down to her stall. You're not sure why she's so vigilant. It's not like anyone went there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meiling. Dragon Meiling.  
> It's canon ok
> 
> I'm not super happy with this chapter, as it's really just a transition chapter. Whatever.  
> Hope you enjoyed it.


	4. Hakurei

When you finally manage to get Remilia and Flandre out of their coffins, Meiling's already waiting outside your door. She takes your bags without complaint, easily hefting them over her shoulders and moving back down to her stall. Remilia follows her, opening up her parasol, and Flandre hurries after her, clinging to her as soon as she gets close enough. You just sigh, tuck your book under your arm, and follow them.

Meiling leads the three of you to an empty spot by the docks and drops the bags to the ground, stretching and looking off into the rising sun. "Alright! Everyone ready to go?" She looks back at you, beaming and bouncing. Remilia nods and twirls her parasol impatiently, and you just shrug, not looking forward to getting motion sick again. Meiling nods and then focuses for a second.

The next moment, a massive, brilliant dragon is standing before you, scales shining in the dim morning light. Flandre gasps and moves out of Remilia's shadow, bouncing in excitement. "Oh, wow! That's so cool!" Meiling's massive in her true form, almost towering over the surrounding buildings. She leans lower, belly scraping the ground as she gestures for you to get on.

By the time all three of you are on Meiling, she's grasped the larger bags in her almost terrifyingly large claws. Now that you've gotten a closer look, you can see that her scales are shining in the light, almost like a rainbow. They're so many different colours, blending together beautifully to make row after row of vibrant scales. Flandre is transfixed - she's running her hands over the scales and smiling. "Meiling, you're so cool!" The dragon rumbles and shifts, bowing her head appreciatively before leaping into the air.

The initial leap hurts your head and makes your stomach flip, but after that, it's smooth flying. Flandre cheers and bounces happily, while Remilia just looks ahead, a small smile on her face. As the sun rises higher in the sky, Remilia tilts her parasol to shield herself and Flandre from it, but it only works to make Meiling shine brighter and brighter. Each scale sparkles in the light beautifully. Like stained glass, almost. She's beautiful. Thankfully, you're unbothered by the movement, so you're not vomiting everywhere like you were on the boat.

Meiling flies over the ocean, and eventually, over the islands of Japan. "To Gensokyo, right?" Her voice is a loud rumble, and Remilia nods.

"Yes. Gensokyo." You wonder if Remilia even knows how to speak Japanese. You guess you'll see soon, now that you're flying above it. You're going to have to learn it too, you realize. You really hope Remilia knows how to speak Japanese.

* * *

When Meiling finally announces your location as Gensokyo, you've flown past a rather large mountain range. "Where to from here?" Remilia mentions some mansion and Meiling nods. By now, Flandre's fallen asleep, leaning against Remilia and kept safe in the shade of her parasol. You've just been reading. Apparently dragons are a good place for reading. Who knew.

Meiling eventually touches down near a rather large lake, with a nearby mountain towering far above the ground. You've never been this close to a mountain - they're way larger than you anticipated. Lots of small, winged humanoids - fairies, you think - are fluttering around at a distance, shooting confused looks your way. 

"Here we are." Meiling lowers herself to the ground, letting Remilia hop off with Flandre in tow. Once she lands, she helps you down, and Meiling shifts back to her human form, smiling as brightly as ever. "See that?" She points to a rather large mansion in the distance. "That's your new home! How did you even get that? That's like, prime real estate, looking over this... fairy-infested lake." Meiling glances over at the crowds of fairies. "But seriously."

Remilia grins, flashing off her fangs. "I found a way." Meiling looks at her for a moment before shrugging and floating across the river, bags in hand. Remilia follows her with a newly awake Flandre, who just clings to her dress and rubs at her eyes. You slip your book into your own bag and follow them, watching as the fairies flutter after you slowly and carefully. 

By the time you get to the mansion, you've realized that it's way larger than you expected. It's absolutely massive, towering above the four of you. It doesn't have a lot of windows, but it has a large, imposing front door that looks way too large to actually be practical or even usable. Meiling pushes it open with ease, sending up an upsettingly large wave of dust. You groan and float back, hoping to not get much of it caught in your throat.

Remilia flutters to the top of the staircase, behind Meiling, and throws her hand into the air, grinning. "I present to you... the Scarlet Devil Mansion!" 

* * *

The Scarlet Devil Mansion turns out to be old, dusty, abandoned, and infested with fairies and tsukumogami. Although the dragon was initially eager to leave, Remilia managed to get Meiling to stay around a bit longer with more payments, so she helped with the restoration. Through threats and promises, Remilia got the fairies to her side too, as a legion of maids doing their best to help clean up. Their best isn't that much, apparently. Mostly they just swat each other with cleaning implements and whine. 

Much to your own pleasant surprise, one of the wings of the house leads into a massive, full library. Much of which was in Japanese or Chinese. Meiling mentioned later, while playing with Flandre, that she could teach you how to read it. You're really not sure if she's planning on staying around that long, but you accepted it nonetheless. 

A few weeks later, the mansion is in mostly running condition, although every once and a while a tsukumogami bursts from a closet, shrieking threats and nonsense. None of them last very long - Flandre rendered one into a disturbingly large pile of ash earlier today. Now you understand why Remilia didn't want you to spar with her. Meiling keeps her company a lot - the two of them get along very well, you realize. It's nice, although you know that Meiling likely won't be around for much longer anyways, before she flies back home to China.

Whatever.

* * *

The weeks pass by into months, spent mostly reading and being taught how to read Japanese and Chinese by Meiling, who apparently made some sort of deal with Remilia to stay as guard. You're 90% sure she did so entirely to spend more time with Flandre. Not that you're complaining - she's a decent teacher, and a good guard, keeping humans and youkai and fairies away from the house.

You don't see Remilia that often - she's busy, you guess, arranging things and collecting meals for her and Flandre. When you bring her up around Meiling, she looks uneasy. "Uh... well. I think she's actually collecting a lot of. Followers. Other youkai and stuff. The youkai here have a treaty with humans, so that all the humans don't get eradicated by hungry youkai. And, uh. Miss Remilia isn't a big fan of that." You stare at Meiling incredulously. 

This isn't going to end well.

* * *

A few nights later, Meiling barges into your library, tearing your attention away from your book - something about magical theory - and you glare at her, displeased with her interruption. She smiles nervously and lifts her hands up in silent surrender. "Uh, Miss Remilia told me to invite you to tea with her. She apparently has something she wants to discuss." You sigh and drift from your desk outside, going to Remilia's room.

Her room is nicely furnished, with her coffin resting against the wall and the drapes pulled shut. She's sitting at the tea table, humming to herself and drinking reddish tea. "Ah! Patche! You're here!" You raise an eyebrow at her and sit in the seat across from her. You're surprised to see that Meiling sits down between the two of you, looking rather uncomfortable. 

"What is it, Remi." You're quick to the point, as always - no point in dancing around whatever disaster is brewing now.

She pouts and leans back in her seat. "Can't I invite an old friend to tea every now and then?" You glare at her and she sighs dramatically. "Alright, fine. Well, you know how I've been gathering youkai and eating the humans?" You nod and Meiling sips from her tea, looking very much like she'd rather be tending to the garden or anything else, really. You don't blame her. "Well... there's a shrine, with some shrine maiden dedicated to exterminating any youkai that stir up a fuss. And, well... for some reason she thought I was stirring up a fuss, and..."

Meiling chokes on her tea and stares at Remi. "Did you...?"

Remilia shakes her head. "No! I mean..."

"She's dead, isn't she." Your voice cuts through hers and she grins bashfully, rubbing the back of her neck. Meiling shoots to her feet, suddenly looking very, very pale.

"Fuck. We're fucked. The Hakurei Goddess is going to be fucking pissed, R - Miss Remilia." She corrects herself quickly, but doesn't look any less pale. Remilia scowls at her and continues drinking her tea.

"She can come, then. I'll kill her too. How  _dare_ they think they can deny me, a descendant of Vlad Tepes?" Her voice is a lot more angry than you've ever heard it, and it'd scare you if you were more susceptible to such things. As it is, Meiling shrinks before sighing. 

"Okay."

You just shake your head and stand up, finishing your tea before you do so. Remilia groans and you leave the room, already mentally preparing for whatever it is is going to come your way. You only hope you can stop it.

* * *

A week later, the doors to your library are thrown open by someone very, very unfamiliar. You pale when you see her - a tall, blonde girl with brilliant gold eyes and a long, flowing dress. She's holding a parasol despite the fact that you're both indoors, and she smiles at you when she sees you. "Yes, hello. Patchouli, is it? I've come here to discuss things with your mistress. Could you point me in the right direction?" Her voice is like honey, smooth and steady. Every word is carefully chosen.

You shake your head, ignoring the frantic pounding of your heart as you pick up your grimoire. "How do you know my name."

The girl shrugs and shoots you a disarming smile. "I know a lot of things." The air around her seems to ripple and tear apart. Eyes glare at you through the seams, and you tremble slightly. "Would you at least want to know mine?" You shake your head. You don't really care. She shrugs. "I'm Yukari Yakumo." 

"Nice to meet you, Miss Yakumo." Your voice is quiet and sarcastic, and Yukari smiles again in response. Hopefully you can at least delay her, maybe give Remilia a chance to prepare herself. You have no hopes of winning, you know that, but the least you can do is try.

* * *

You never stood a chance. 

* * *

Remilia grumbles to herself when she enters your library the next day, looking very displeased. "You know, I never stopped to wonder about how much of an asshole gods were." You just give an affirmative grunt and don't look up from your book. 

Yukari had won in her battle against Remi, apparently. If you had been conscious you would have heard it - but you weren't, so you didn't. Flandre didn't manage to participate in any fighting at all, probably because Remilia had locked her in the basement a few weeks earlier after an incident that left a new human maid splattered across the dining room. But Yukari won, and Remilia had to go with her terms.

Which were pretty tolerable, really - she'd provide the Scarlet Devil Mansion with food, in return for Remilia's cooperation and assistance with something she was planning. Remilia didn't give you a straight answer when you asked, only mumbling something about a border and glaring at her tea like it was trying to kill her. "Yukari wants you to come to the meeting next week." You blink and look up from your book.

"Why? What can I do." Your fight yesterday only served to demonstrate your own weakness to yourself, something that you're eager to remedy. Next time something like this happens, you won't leave Remilia unprotected. 

Remilia just scowls. "Apparently you're 'more reasonable' than me or something." She mutters part of the sentence in an uncannily accurate rendition of Yukari's voice, and then flops down on a seat next to you. "It's true, probably, but still bullshit." You pat her back reassuringly.

"Probably shouldn't have killed the shrine maiden."

"Shut up, Patche." She punches you in the shoulder softly, but she has a small smile on her face.

* * *

The meeting consists of a few people sitting around a table at the shrine. There's Yukari, accompanied by a shorter girl with nine tails. Ran, apparently. Yukari's shikigami. Sitting beside Yukari is a short, black-haired girl who looks like she's been crying. You suddenly realize that she must be the new shrine maiden. Her mother must have been the one before her. Judging by the glare she shoots Remilia, that's an accurate assumption.

"So. Miss Scarlet, you know my proposition." Yukari starts talking, all business, and Remilia nods. "Ran, would you care to recap to our guests?" Ran nods and clears her throat.

"Miss Yakumo is proposing to create a barrier that would seal Gensokyo off from the rest of the world. This way, youkai can survive without having to interact with the outside world, and would exist without needing its belief. The human village and all humans already living here will remain."

"And what do you need us for? Couldn't Miss Yakumo create the barrier herself?" You glance at Yukari, who looks at you over the top of her fan, almost analytically, before nodding to Ran.

"Although Miss Yakumo may be able to put a barrier up by herself, the barrier would not survive without assistance from others. Which is why we are propositioning you, Miss Scarlet, and you, Miss Patchouli, to assist with the establishment of the barrier to keep Gensokyo safe and stable." You had a feeling it would turn into this, and glance over at Remilia.

"We'll help." She says so after a second of thought, and looks at Yukari. Not like we really have all that much choice, you realize - it's this or die for what Remilia did. You have a feeling it took a lot of Remilia's pride to say that.  _  
_

"Excellent." Yukari's speaking now. "Let's talk specifics, shall we?"

* * *

A month later, the barrier is standing. You and Remilia weren't the only youkai in Gensokyo to assist in its establishment, but not many did. It wasn't a very popular choice with much of the other youkai. Not like it matters.

It's named the Great Hakurei Barrier, after the shrine, and the shrine maidens who live there. Meiling groans when it goes up, mumbling that people are going to steal from her stall without her there to scare them off, but it's not like she ever left when she had the chance. But she has no choice now, you guess. 

You're all stuck here now. Whether you like it or not.


	5. Koakuma

Not like you really care that you're stuck here. You have more books than you ever could have fathomed having all those years ago, when you were stuck in the workhouse. So you're not complaining - it's not like you'd willingly leave all the library's books behind, anyways. There are so many of them on so many different subjects and you love all of them.

Lots of them talk about having magical assistance for rituals and experiments and things. Familiars. Magical assistants that help you out all over the place. You glance up from your current book - detailing how to summon a familiar - at the piles of books lying around on your desk, left unfinished when you got bored and started looking for something else to occupy yourself with. A familiar could be helpful, you guess. To keep the library organized, to keep unwanted people out so you don't have to deal with them (although, it's not like anyone ever gets past Meiling these days)... Hm. You'll need to think more on this. 

You shouldn't make impulsive decisions, after all. 

* * *

It's been several years since the whole incident with the angry Hakurei goddess and the establishment of the Great Hakurei Barrier. You can't remember the exact time - you've spent so much time in your library, all the days just blend together into words on a page - but it's been a while. Long enough that no one comes up to the mansion anymore. Meiling keeps guard - vigilant as ever - but never reports anything new on the few occasions your paths cross. 

Remilia, too, rarely has news - besides the appointment of another new head maid (they never last long). You guess that's one of the risks to be had when you're living in a house full of youkai. Most of them have died to Flandre, as far as you know - she always did have a hard time controlling her power. It makes you realize how lucky you were that you were never hurt by her in the past, during one of her less controlled moments. Maybe Remilia had her way of ensuring that didn't happen.

The new shrine maiden keeps an eye on you nonetheless. Which is probably a good idea, considering that every time you have tea with Remi she brings up a new plan, a new way to start some stupid incident. You really don't know what else to expect from her at this point. At the very least you can dissuade her from doing something stupid. The new shrine maiden is stronger than her mother was - and if she  _did_ die, things would not go well for you or anyone else in Gensokyo. Considering she doesn't have a heir yet.

Life in the Scarlet Devil Mansion is proceeding as normally as it can, and that's fine with you. There's nothing to complain about. 

* * *

"A familiar?" Remi looks at you over her cup of tea, surprised. "I didn't think you'd be one for a familiar." 

"It'd be helpful for keeping the library organized."  You take a sip of tea and shrug, nodding in acknowledgement to the current head maid. Try as you might, you can't remember her name. She'll probably be dead by the next time you leave the library anyways. "And for helping with my studies. And keeping people out when I don't want to deal with them." Remilia leans back in her seat and takes another sip of tea, thinking.

"That's true, but it's not like much people get past Meiling anyways. But I see what you're saying." She hands her empty cup to the maid, who refills it. "Hm. A devil would probably be the best call." 

You raise an eyebrow at her. "Why a devil, of all things?" 

Remilia smirks. "It's the Scarlet  _Devil_ Mansion. It's only appropriate." Of course. You roll your eyes and sigh. "But seriously. Devils are good familiars. They don't need any micromanagement or anything. They tend to be fairly powerful. Could always help to have another strong youkai on board here, when Hakurei gets on our case again." She grins wider.

"I'd really rather not have another Hakurei maiden dead. Yakumo probably won't let us get away with that one." Remilia rolls her eyes and pouts. "But you're right. Another strong youkai would probably be a good idea." The more defences you have, the better. "I'll look into it." She looks pleased with that, at least. When the maid goes to pour you another cup of tea, you shake your head. "No thank you. I have studies to do."

Remilia waves good bye, grinning widely. "See you, Patche. Can't wait to see what you come up with!"

* * *

She was right - devils do seem to be the best possible choice for you and the mansion, much to your own chagrin. But... they have complications, you guess. They're ambitious and mischievous. Can be just as much of a liability as a help. Not as bad as some of the other options, you guess, so whatever. The ritual is simple enough, too - only takes a few hours of prep time. Just have to say the right things. God, you hope you don't have an asthma attack while you're doing it. That wouldn't end well.

A few hours later, there's a chalk circle on the ground and you're surrounded by books. Apparently you need some sort of offering to attract a devil - the offering will decide the type of devil summoned. It takes you a moment to decide what to offer up. A book. That'd be best, you think - hopefully it would get you a like-minded devil, one that you can work with more easily.

When the ritual is finally over - it takes about an hour of muttering incantations and performing stupidly detailed gestures - nothing happens. The book just sits in the middle of the chalk circle. Frustrated, you start looking through your books before it just vanishes. You blink, and then, next thing you know, there's a tall, red-haired figure standing in the middle of the circle. They're wearing a suit with a red tie and large, flowing skirt. A pair of large wings sprout from their back, and a smaller pair mirror them on their head. "Ah. Hi there!" They chirp happily when they see you and wave. "I'm Koakuma! Your new familiar!"

"...Uh, hello." They're... not what you expected. Don't devils typically have horns and tails and stuff? Whatever. "I'm - "

"Patchouli Knowledge! Yes, I know!" They cut you off, turning to look at everything in the library and cooing in delight. "Aw, cool! You have such a big library! It'll be great to work here!" Koakuma sounds more enthusiastic than you expected. At least they're enthusiastic about the right things in life. You nod and allow yourself a small smile. _  
_

"Yes. It's quite the library." You look at the mess on the ground and wonder if it'd be fair to just tell them what to do immediately. Maybe later? Koakuma looks back at you and then glances at the mess on the floor.

"Oh! Yeah. Cleaning, aha. Should probably do that. Excuse me!" They flutter over to the books and start looking at them, furrowing their eyebrows. "How do you want these organized? Alphabetically by author? By title? Or something else?" You rub the back of your neck and shrug.

"By title is good." Koakuma nods and looks at the books on your desk.

"Those too?" You nod, and they nod, repeating your orders to themself as they go about carrying them out. Hm. You could probably get used to this, you decide. Seems handy enough - Koakuma's enthusiastic and already seems to be a hard worker. You should probably take them out to properly meet Remilia and the rest later. 

* * *

Within the week, every book in the library is organized in Koakuma's new system. This was a good idea, definitely. Otherwise you'd just have a steadily growing pile of books around your desk. And that would just. Be really terrible. You're glad they're here to help.

Right now, they're straightening their tie and fussing with their hair. "Calm down, Koakuma. It's only Remi."

Koakuma shrugs. "Hey! I have to look presentable for my first meeting with her! First impressions are important." You decide not to mention that your first impression of Remilia was 'literal bloodthirsty murderer'. Although you guess that's not that far from the mark.

The door opens to - woe and behold - another new maid and Remilia, sitting at the table and sipping tea. "Ah! Patche! And this must be your new familiar!" She raises her cup to the two of you and Koakuma bows in response.

"Good evening, ma'am! I'm Koakuma." They sound nothing like what they typically do when they're listening to your orders and discussing magical theory with you - less serious, more charming and content. You have a feeling this is where that ambition shows through. 

Remilia raises an eyebrow and grins wider. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Koakuma. I am Remilia Scarlet, head of this mansion and descendant of Vlad Tepes!" Koakuma looks up at her with alert eyes and grins.

"Really? Oh, that's so cool!" Koakuma sounds like they just won the lottery, and Remilia is eating up all the attention. "I've read about him! That's so cool, you being the descendant of such an important historical figure!"  _  
_

"Aw, you flatter me."

You roll your eyes and sip your tea, cracking open a book that you had slipped out of the library and letting their discussion fade away into the background while you read.

 


	6. Sakuya

When Meiling comes into the library in the middle of the day, you know something's up. It's not time for her break yet, and she rarely comes to see you anyways. She usually goes down to keep Flandre company. Koakuma just shrugs when you look at them for elaboration, and you sigh, setting down your book. "What is it, Meiling."

The dragon wrings her wrists and looks around awkwardly. "There's, uh, something at the gate." You look at her, unimpressed, and then look back to your book.

"Isn't it your job to deal with things at the gate? Why are you coming to me about this?" Your gaze doesn't move from your book, but you can see that she's shifting awkwardly. "Do you need my help dealing with it or something?"

"Yeah. I need your, uh.... expertise. To help me with this. Please." She claps her hands together and looks at you, almost pleading. You look at her over the top of your book before setting it down with a sigh.

"You really expect me to walk all the way down to the gate." Meiling shakes her head.

"Uh, no! It's not at the gate. It's, uh. In the grounds. In the gardens, actually. It's not that far! ... In comparison." She smiles at you weakly and you just stare at her. It takes about four seconds for her to crack under the pressure. "Okay, fine. There's a kid, alright? Like. Six, seven years old or something. I don't know. I think she was left there by one of Miss Yakumo's shikigami for, uh..." She gestures in the vague direction of Remilia's room. "Food."

You look at her for a long moment, mulling over your options, before standing up slowly. May as well go see what this is about. "I doubt Remilia has much, if any, interest in eating a child." She left you alive, after all. Then again, you're not human. "But I understand."

Meiling looks relieved. "Okay, come on. I'll bring you to her."

* * *

It takes you a while to get out to the gate - you're not used to walking long distances anymore. It's been a long time since you last left the mansion. Years. Decades, actually. Oh well. Meiling leads you to one of the flower beds, and points under the bush there. You kneel down and see her - a young, silver-haired girl, lying on the ground, apparently asleep. Meiling laughs nervously and tugs on one of her braids. "She was awake when I found her. It was, uh, a couple days ago. I've been. Keeping her company since then. Feeding her and stuff." She walks over to the girl and nudges her gently. "Hey, wake up. It's just me. Meiling."

The girl blinks her eyes open slowly, looking suddenly very alert and alive. Upon seeing you, she dashes behind Meiling, peeking out from behind it with evident fear. Meiling pats her head gently. "Hey, it's okay. This is just Miss Patchouli. I told you about her, remember? She's the one I went to go get to help me with you. She won't hurt you." Meiling looks at you in a way that very evidently says that you better not.  _  
_

You realize you're expected to talk. How do you even interact with children? You were good with Flandre, yeah, but she's older than you. By a lot. She's not really a child anymore. "...Hello. What's your name?" Seems as good of a place to start as any, you guess. The child shifts awkwardly in response, but doesn't move out of the safety of Meiling's shadow.

"...I don't have one." Her voice is quiet and steady, more than you expected from a nervous child. You nod and stand up while Meiling starts fussing over the girl's hair, muttering to herself. "M-miss Meiling, my hair is fine." Meiling just huffs and crosses her arms, shrugging before turning to you, looking restless.

"Yeah, so. What do we do, Miss Patchouli?" She's started to pace around nervously, rubbing her hands together. "I mean! We can't just abandon her or something. And we can't just give her to Miss Scarlet to be..." Meiling looks at the girl, who looks rather nervous as well. "...Yeah." 

"Once again, I doubt Remi is interested in eating children. She did take me in when I was young. Not quite this young, but still. Why wouldn't she do the same for her?" You and Meiling both know that she took you in because of your magical talents and identity, but you do believe Remi will take her in. Again, why wouldn't she? She's not as bad as most of the humans make her out to be.

Meiling looks down at the child, who's lost interest in the conversation and is just fidgeting with the hem of her skirt, looking bored and nervous. "....Alright. This better not go wrong, okay?"

* * *

Remilia looks at the child for a few moments after you explain the situation and Meiling brought her in. "No name, huh...." she mutters to herself, almost as an afterthought, before smiling at the child. She stands up and flares her wings, and you sigh and shake your head. She always did have a penchant for theatrics, you guess. You only wish she hadn't decided to tap into that now, of all times. "I am Remilia Scarlet - as you may have heard - head of this mansion and the descendant of Vlad Tepes!" The child's eyes widen at the sight of the wings, and fangs, and all the sudden she just. Vanishes. The door, which had been open, slams shut, much to everyone's surprise. Remi just blinks and then grins. "What was that." She sounds intrigued. Great.

When Meiling opens the door, the girl is sitting in the middle of the hallway, shaking. Meiling approaches her slowly, arms held up, and reassures her while Remilia watches, curious. "You stopped time, didn't you." She finally asks the question after a couple minutes, when the child's shaking has stopped and when she seems okay again. The girl nods shakily, looking at Remilia nervously. "Well done. That's very... impressive." The child just stares at her, not saying anything. Remilia continues. "That's a talent I could use very well in this mansion. I'll tell you what." She holds out her hand to the girl, who flinches back from it. "If you become my new head maid, I'll help you with everything! You'll get a name, a home, a friend," she nudges her head in Meiling's direction, who looks terrified at the prospect of putting her into that position (after all, they never last long) "And I'll help you with all your magic and anything else you need! How does that sound?"

Unlike you and Meiling, the girl knows nothing about the possible dangers of being the head maid. Flandre, getting on Remilia's bad side, dealing with the fairy maids... Not really a safe job to have. But she doesn't know that. She looks at Meiling, who shakes her head, then at you, (and you remain as impassive as ever), and then at the ground for a moment, before nodding her head slowly. Meiling groans audibly as the girl says "O-okay," and takes Remilia's hand. The vampire pulls her up with a grin.

"Excellent! I'm glad to hear that. And now, for a name..." Remilia thinks for a few seconds before she seems to find something that she's satisfied with. "Sakuya! Sakuya Izayoi. A perfect name for the maid of a vampire! Does that sound good to you?" The girl - now named Sakuya, apparently - nods after a moment of deliberation. "Perfect. Meiling, show our new head maid around the house!"

A pale and scared-looking Meiling nods weakly, after a moment of hesitation, and then takes Sakuya by the hand gently and leads her down the hallway. Remilia watches them leave and smiles, turning to you. "Reminds me of you, Patche! Small, scared kid with lots of potential!" She sounds overly pleased about that. 

"You're going to get her killed." Your reply is as short and blunt as ever. Even if you're not personally close to Sakuya, Meiling is. And you'd rather not cause her any more problems. You've already taken her away from her home - even if she did make that decision herself, you have a feeling she misses it more than she'd admit - and you don't want to give her anything else to grieve by getting Sakuya killed.

Remilia sighs. "Come on, she'll be fine. I wouldn't have given her the job if I didn't think she could handle it. Just trust me, Patche. You survived Flandre before, didn't you? She'll survive this. I know she will." 

She does have a point, you guess. "If you say so."

* * *

The next day, Meiling brings Sakuya into your library, looking like she spent the entire night awake. Probably did. Meanwhile, Sakuya looks bright and curious - more than she did before. A lot more. "Koakuma, could you show our new head maid around the library?" You have things to talk to Meiling about. Lots of things.

"Sure thing!" Koakuma chirps happily, fluttering down to Sakuya. "Come on! The library is a really great place! You'll like it here! I know I do!" They take her by the hand and start showing her around, talking in a quiet, excited tone. Meiling just hovers awkwardly in the library and looks around as their voices fade away.

"I forgot how big this library was." Her voice is more controlled than you expected, but there's still an undercurrent of anxiety. "Must be nice! All this room for all your books!" You nod and gesture for her to come closer to your desk. She walks over after a moment of hesitation and looks down at you. "Yeah? What is it, Miss Patchouli?" Even though you've grown taller since the day you first met her, she still towers far above you.

You slip your bookmark into your book and look up at her. "Meiling, we've known each other for a long time now. You don't have to be so formal all the time. You can just call me Patchouli." She chuckles nervously and nods, muttering a half-hearted "Okay." You look over in the direction of the faint sounds of Koakuma and Sakuya talking. "You look like you didn't get any sleep." 

Meiling nods and follows your gaze, crossing her arms. "...Yeah. I'm. Nervous, okay. I don't want her to get killed. You know what happened to the other head maids. Flandre or Remilia...." She shudders and nods again. "I don't want that to happen to her. She deserves better than that. I should have brought her back to the human village, or. Or  _something."_ She sounds angry with herself. You don't blame her. "Would have been the least I could do."

"It's okay, Meiling. She'll be fine. She's strong and talented already. I have a feeling she'll last. Remilia won't want to kill someone of her talent." Probably, anyways. You're not good at reassuring people, but you feel like you need to try. You don't think Meiling actually gets to talk to much people besides Flandre. She's probably lonely. Meiling looks back at you, looking a bit confused at the sudden sentiment, but nods slowly and sighs. "Flandre will probably get along with her."

"Hopefully." Koakuma returns with Sakuya a few minutes later, and Sakuya rushes up to Meiling, talking excitedly about everything Koakuma showed her. Meiling smiles back and listens to her as she takes her back outside the library. Koakuma settles on a chair next to you, having grabbed a cup of tea at some point in the past. 

"Quite the kid, huh?" You nod and open your book again. Quite the kid indeed.

* * *

Sakuya grows quickly. Or maybe it just seems that way. The short, clever girl wearing an oversized maid outfit and brought you too-warm or too-cold tea becomes a tall, intelligent girl with an affinity for knives. Lots of knives. Remilia was right - the time manipulation allows Sakuya to be extremely efficient. She can clean the entire mansion in what seems to be a second to everyone else. Your tea suddenly refills while you're distracted, all the time. It's nice.

But. Even though you've never been good at reading people, you can see that Meiling and Sakuya have grown apart since Sakuya's childhood. Maybe it's just Remilia's influence, or something altogether. You don't know. It's not really your business. Not unless they come to blows. Which you doubt. Meiling's always been very controlled. 

Which is why, one day, you're surprised that she's at your desk again, all these years later. Koakuma just shrugs, looking awkward and uncomfortable, before fluttering away at the first opportunity to leave you with an evidently despondent Meiling. "...What happened, Meiling." This is not a situation you've ever been exposed to. Flandre definitely had more negative moments while you were with her, but she always bounced back quickly. She didn't need reassurance, she just needed presence.

Meiling is evidently a very different scenario. "I..." Her voice is shaky, almost scared-sounding. "I don't know. I think. I think Sakuya hates me." She sounds utterly miserable, and she wipes her eyes. Wait, she's crying. Fuck. You definitely do not know how to deal with this scenario. Meiling laughs nervously and then looks away. "We had a fight. I don't know. I can't. It just? Happened."

You reach out awkwardly to pat her shoulder.

Next thing you know, she's sobbing into her hands. 

This is a very different scenario. You weigh your options for a second before getting out of your chair and wrapping your arms around her awkwardly. She's a lot taller than you, so it's not a very good hug, but whatever. She wraps her arms around you and just sobs and sobs.

You don't ask what happened. If Meiling wants to tell you, she'll tell you. For now, you'll just do your best to be a friend. "For the record, I don't hate you, Meiling." She cries harder after that, but her arms tighten around you.

* * *

Sakuya invites you to tea regularly, on Remilia's behalf. It's always pleasant - you just sit down with Remilia and talk about things that don't really matter, while Sakuya serves the two of you. 

Meiling is never invited.

But she is always invited to tea with you and Koakuma. Sometimes Flandre, too, on some of her better days. You won't forget what Meiling's done for you, and for Flandre, and for Sakuya. Even if Sakuya does. What happened between the two of them is none of your business. But you'll help your friend however you can. 


	7. Marisa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marisa Kirisame sure knows how to end things with a bang.

You told her. You fucking told her this stupid Scarlet Weather wouldn't end well. What else did she fucking expect? You can't go around pulling this shit without pissing off the shrine maiden. But Remilia tried nonetheless, and here you are now. All beaten. Literally everyone in the mansion lost. Literally everyone in the mansion lost to  _two humans._ What a fucking disgrace. Then, even worse, they came back when Flandre escaped and dealt with her too. You had it under control! Probably. Okay, you didn't. At least she wouldn't have gotten outside. 

Remilia blames her own failure on the newly established spell card system - "It's rigged, it has to be! There's no way I, Remilia Scarlet, could lose to a lowly human!" But she did. You all did. 

And the witch - Marisa Kirisame - stole some of your books, and a lot of other stuff from around the mansion. She promised she'd be back - apparently your selection is too good to pass up. You'd be flattered if she wasn't stealing it. Really, you're just pissed. Fending off a thief should not be one of your day-to-day worries. You groan and glower at the book on your desk. Koakuma's long ago made themselves scarce - they know not to deal with you while you're in a bad mood. 

God. Why'd she have to steal the book you were reading. 

* * *

Your name is Marisa Kirisame, and you just hit the fucking jackpot. The Scarlet Devil Mansion - a place of many secrets, apparently, and many more books. You've been to a lot of places with a lot of things to steal, but the mansion might very well top the list. Lots of trinkets and small, interesting things. And lots of books, of course. So many books. It's incredible.

Going through all that bullshit with the vampire and the other vampire was worth it for this, you think, flipping through the pages of your new acquisition. It's a bit of a dry read, but still interesting. Informative. Definitely worth the difficulty of slipping past Meiling and Patchouli and Koakuma. Speaking of Patchouli, maybe you should go back. Talk to her some more. Maybe return the book to prove that you're not  _all_ that bad. And then steal another one to keep her on her toes.

Before you have the time to really consider your decision, you're mounting your broom and shooting off into the night sky. You guess you're doing this after all. 

* * *

 

"What are you doing here." Patchouli's voice is short, blunt and evidently displeased. 

"Nice to see you too, Patche." In contrast, your reply is undeterred, friendly and cheery. You skip up to her desk and slide the book onto it with a heavy thunk. She looks at it, then up at you with an eyebrow raised. "What? I'm not  _that_ bad. I did say you could have it back!"

"You said I could have it back when you died. Unless my eyes are deceiving me, you look very much alive." She takes the book and pulls it back, away from you, and to the relative safety of her chest. "I'm sure you didn't come here just to return my book. What do you want, Marisa." You're glad that she uses your first name instead of your last. It's less impersonal, you guess. You're not a big fan of your last name anyways - it's just another relic of your dad. Not someone you want reason to remember.

"Can't I just come to talk to a friend?" She looks at you incredulously, and you cross your arms. "Seriously, I just wanted to talk. Don't give me that look."

Patche sighs and opens up her book, flipping through the pages quickly in search of where she had been before you stole it. "Is there anything in particular you want to talk about, or are you just here to distract me from my studies." 

"Hey, give me more credit." You're already looking around the library for interesting looking titles. Trading off one somewhat dry book for a more interesting read? Sounds good to you, as far as you're concerned. "Are you one of those... youkai magicians? Like. People who trade their humanity for immortality or whatever? How does that even happen?" You're just trying to find things to distract her with - this is already a subject you know pretty well, after all.

You hear her sigh. "I was born into this. But yes, there are rituals and things to accomplish that - what are you doing." Aw, goddammit. You laugh nervously and slide the book into your robes, turning around slowly with a smile.

"Consider it a trade, Patche! You get that book, I get these ones!" You're already on your broom, and she's glowering at you, fumbling around in the pocket of her coat for a spell card. 

"It's not a trade. They're mine. Give them back, Marisa." You shake your head and pull out your own spell card. "Love Sign!" Patchouli shoots you a look of 'don't you dare fucking use that spell card in my library' and you just grin back. "MASTER SPARK!" The spell card has enough force to knock her back and secure your own escape, so you can't stop yourself from snatching the book you had returned to her. In the distance, you hear Koakuma calling out in surprise. 

Patchouli coughs and glares at you while you fly off, evidently too distracted by her own problems to bother to stop you.

It's a good day to be you, you think to yourself as you heft your books. A good day indeed.

Too late, you notice a glyph on the book you had come here to return.

"Aw shi - " The glyph explodes in your face before you have time to react, knocking you off your broom. You hear Koakuma laughing raucously, and see Patchouli walking up to you slowly. That did not go as well as expected. You probably should have expected this, to be honest. 

Patchouli picks up the books and just glares at you. "Out. Now." She punctuates the statement by pointing to the exit of the library, and you just nod, raising your hands as you suppress a chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah! I'll be back, Patche!"

"Don't bother."

"Come on, you love me."

"Get out."

You just snicker and leave out the front door of the library, sneaking out the way you came in and flying back home, whistling casually as you pull another book out of your robe. Always pays to be prepared for capture. You grin to yourself and open up the book. 

A good day to be you, indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's over.
> 
> This fic was written mostly because there's like. Very few Patchouli-centric fics on here. So I needed to write one. So I did. I love Patchouli a lot. She's my favorite character in Touhou and I identify with her a lot.
> 
> Sooooo, yeah! Thanks for reading my story!


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